lunedì 2 novembre 2009

Glenn Hauser logs November 2, 2009

** CANADA. 7310 at 1326 Nov 2 with Spanish report about dogs, 1329 listing numerous phone numbers, presumably toll-free, from countries all over the Americas to contact Radio Canada Immigration, including a 1-877 one from the USA. Show titled ``Canadá y las Américas``. Ex-7325, which all during A-09 collided heavily with CRI in Japanese, but nobody cared (because nobody was listening?). The Spanish hour has just shifted from 1205-1304 to 1305-1404 UT (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CHINA. 5780-5820, OTH radar pulsing presumed from here, at 1323 Nov 2 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CHINA. Firedrake Nov 2: at 1352, nothing on 10210 or 9000, but good on 8400 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CHINA. 9730, Nov 2 at 1353, CRI English hour upwrapping by playing the old CRI IS, and multilingual IDs, so I quickly retuned to much stronger Sackville relay on 15230, but it was over (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CHINA [and non]. CNR1 with operatic singing Nov 2 at 1433 on 7525 and 7535, the latter jamming something co-channel in Chinese, and CNR1 also // on 7385, 7365 and 7295. 7535 is BBC Chinese via Thailand, while 7525 is VOA Chinese via Thailand, both of which must not be allowed to enter China unscathed. More of the same on 9785 and 9825 at 1438, both of which are successfully blocking VOA Chinese via Tinang. Why does IBB take this lying down? Even kindly informing the ChiCom of all the latest schedule changes thru HFCC (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CUBA. DentroCuban Jamming Command doesn`t want you to hear WORLD OF RADIO. Please direct complaints to Arnie Coro. Another time on WRMI 9955 ruined by heavy two-tone pulse jamming, altho not a wall of noise, UT Monday Nov 2 at 0620 during the new shifted time of 0600, which I had first confirmed by webcast as airing then. R. Prague relay, however, now shifted to 1500 was loud and clear of jamming Nov 2 at 1513.

A week after the official start of B-09, and the dust is starting to settle, after refusing to coördinate in advance with any other station at HFCC, as an outlaw broadcaster, RHC makes its own changes. UT Nov 2 found on several new frequencies: 6110, 6150, 11730, 13770. Our preliminary monitoring shows:

At 0633 on new 6150 in Spanish // 6140 and the as usual distorted 6120. Separate music in English service heard on 6060 only. At first I was not hearing RHC English on 6010; nor Spanish on 6000, just WYFR English. At 0643, RHC English became audible on 6010, much weaker than before, mixing with Mexico/Colombia.

6150 had a somewhat stronger signal than // 6140, but lower modulation. Nothing to or from the western hemisphere was scheduled on 6150 between 0400 and 0800, but if RHC is on before 0400 it will collide with Tirana in English, and after 0800 with KNLS Alaska in English.

As for programming, the Spanish service was concluding El Mundo de la Filatelia at 0635, starting En Contacto, the DX program at 0636, which is another new additional time for it. Among other things they played a clip of the old Radio Taíno with English ID, ``tourist radio``; that occupied MW 1180 for a while a number of years ago to block Radio Martí. I wonder why they did not keep it going? Apparently it is long gone, not found on any MW frequency in the WRTH 2009, or survives it on FM?

There could be more changes in the 11-13 period which I am yet to be awake to monitor. Are any of these showing yet on the RHC website schedule in Spanish? Of course not!

Resumed monitoring at 1320 and found RHC on another new one, 6110, ending ``Figuras en la Historia`` segment about cinema during Despertar con Cuba. This is now the only RHC signal audible on 49m, no longer 5965 and 6000. At 1400 a weak het on 6110. Schedules indicate it is more or less clear at this time, but will be unwelcome in México [q.v.] as QRM to nearby Mérida 6105v.

At 1332 I find another new RHC frequency, 11730. This only adds to the mess on 25m provided by the 11760 transmitter with its two dozen spurs ranging from 11190 to 12330, approximately.

11760 is also putting out closer noise-only spurs circa 11745 and 11775, the latter bothering Anguilla. At 1352, Poland via Austria 11675 is also getting some hash, likely from the widespread crap as Habana is infesting the 25m band with CubaRM.

I keep bandscanning, now up to 22m, and what new frequency will I find from RHC there? 13770 ex-13760. 13680, 13780 and 13880 are still on as usual. As are on 19m the 15360 and 15120 pair, the latter much stronger here. At 1341 I confirm that 13770 and 13780 are an echo apart from different sites, just as 13760 and 13780 had been.

I make sure to monitor the frequency announcement at 1400: with some hesitation, Tony has a modified script to read, in the usual jumbled order: 15120, 15360, 13760(?), 13680, 13780, 11760, 11730, 11800, 6110. I am not positive he was still saying 13760 instead of 13770, as 60 and 70 are very hard to tell apart in Spanish. But they did get in the other new ones, 11730 and 6110.

Preparing for the next frequency announcement at 1500, which should be different for the midday broadcast, at 1455 I found several of the earlier channels already off the air: 11760, 13680, 13780, 15120, while these were still running: 6110, 11730, 11800, 13770, 15360.

At 1500 on 13770, these were announced: 13770(? or 13760), 11730, 11780, 11800, 6110. BUT 11760 is now back on, and nothing on 11780 now or later. I suspect 11780 was a typo for the usual 11690! Where there was open carrier vs RTTY at 1501, and which by 1515 was in RHC programming // 11730, 11760, 11800 and weakening 6110. Meanwhile, RNV relay was still on 11680, opening in English at 1501.

At 1501, since 11760 was back on, so were its spurs, and I measured the closest blob pairs centered about 11708.4 and 11811.6 = plus and minus 51.6 kHz, with the usual panoply covering a MHz or more.

The shift from 13760 to 13770 means the leapfrog mixing product with CRI relay on 13740 at 14-16 also shifts, from 13720 to 13710, and now at 1517 I hear it mixing with Qur`an from Saudi Arabia! BSKSA is at least on top but hardly deserves such QubaRM.

Weak noise jamming around 11490, Nov 2 at 1347, perhaps a spur from the main 25m channel being jammed, 11930. To be a leapfrog, there would have to be a fulcrum on 11710, close to the RHC spur on 11708v.

As I finish compiling this report which took the rest of the morning and then some, at 1825 I check RHC frequencies again, now on the DX-398 portable in the yard. 6110 is just barely audible, no more 6000 or 5965; also 11690 but with RTTY and heavy co-channel from DW in Hausa via Rwanda at 295 degrees USward. 11760 relatively weak and even more so its spurs but 11708v still detectable; 11800 fading in and out; and 13770. They have been running five intentional frequencies at midday, so there they are now (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CYPRUS. 18790-18815, OTH radar pulses presumed from here, tho could be elsewhere in Europe, Nov 2 at 1340 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** INDIA [and non]. The AIR Aligarh blob shifted a bit higher on Nov 2 than Nov 1: at 1327 it covered 9475-9485, worst on 9480. At 1510 its edge was bothering VOA on 9485, 49 degrees via Sri Lanka, trying to announce something about a contest, apparently during Border Crossings show. At 1356 I was hearing the same kind and pitch of noise circa 9540, a further spur? Or DRM from BBC Woofferton as scheduled 10-15 on 9540-9545-9550 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** INDONESIA. VOI missing for the second day from 9525v/9526v, no carrier even at 1328 check Nov 2. Could it be on alternate 11785v? At 1402 all I could hear was Chinese, fluttery with tones, evidently cues in language lesson from CRI via East Turkistan (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** KOREA NORTH [non]. Shiokaze, 5985 via Japan, still well-heard here with no jamming or Myanmar audible, Monday Nov 2 at 1403 in Japanese; 1414 YL singing sad solo, presumably a lament for the lost (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** MADAGASCAR [non]. Did anyone try and/or have any luck hearing Radio Mada this weekend, 1530-1600 Sat/Sun on 15670 via Pridnestrovye? I have yet to see any firm reports of its full broadcasts successfully aired since it started a few weeks ago. All I have been able to hear is a trace of a signal on 15670 (Glenn Hauser, OK, Nov 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** MEXICO [and non]. It looks like XEPPM has only one half-hour at most clear of co-channel QRM from Vatican or Brasília on 6185. Nov 2 at 0651 I found RNA already on the air at 4:51 am BDT, // 11780 and blocking Radio Educación on 6185. That had been in the clear around 0630, after Vatican closed at 0620. Brasil is also on before XEPPM signs on at 0000, and one or the other remains on 6185 all evening. Brasil may fade out sometime before XEPPM sign-off 1200, but I am not listening then to find out if there is anything else in the way.

XEQM, Mérida, makes its presence known by hetting 6105 at 1430 Nov 2 as Chinese inserted a VOA jingle. That`s Tinang 332 degrees during this hour, and of course despite CNR1 jamming. Now XEQM is abutted on 6110 by CUBA, q.v. (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also UNIDENTIFIED 9600.4

** MOROCCO [and non]. 15341, RTVM keeps to its off-frequency, Arabic music at 1441 Nov 2 causing het with something weaker on 15340, i.e. HCJB Australia which is now on there 1145-1530, 307 degrees from Kununurra in many S Asian languages, some of them quite obscure, but gotta evangelize `em! And capped by English during the final semisesquihour. By 1507 Morocco had switched to 15345 (why not 15346?) with more music but not enough signal to copy HCJB even tho de-hetted.

Why does RTVM do that? It certainly is to no one`s advantage to run one kHz off. Perhaps the transmitter tuning program originally had a typo in it and no one noticed or cared, like happened at REE Cariari, Costa Rica for months and months too (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** PORTUGAL. DRM on 13805-13810-13815, Nov 2 at 1345. These frequencies are scheduled for extensive DRM in B-09, 08-14 the DW/BBC service in English via Sines, and available 16-24 for R. Bulgaria, but not on their current schedule; with Brother Scare analog from Nauen in between (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** ROMANIA. 15235 in Arabic, Nov 2 at 1508, VG signal kept talking about Romania, so I suspect it is RRI, as who else would be so obsessed with that country? Yes, scheduled 15-16, 247 degrees from Tiganeshti to W Africa. If only RRI would put on some English in our mornings; aimed anywhere we would probably get it (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** SPAIN [and non]. REE Emisión Sefarad, 15385, Monday Nov 2 at 1440 with ladino song, and more nice music to sign-off announcement at 1453. The YL STILL thinx she is on 15325, just as wrong as during the entire A-09 season, in sked announcement for 1425, also giving 11780 to SAm Tuesdays at 0115, and 9690 to NAm Tuesdays at 0415. Besides getting the frequencies right, she really ought to make clear to her non-DX audience, that by ``Tuesday`` she really means Monday nights in the target areas. Contact sefarad @ rtve.es

Meanwhile, something else is really now on 15325, Nov 2 at 1442, seems S Asian language, but heavy splatter from Martí 15330. Yes, it is YFR in Oriya via Wertachtal (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. Tuning in 9885 at 1330 Monday Nov 2, heard ``Welcome to the Voice of America in Spanish``, then Buenos Días América, news magazine unlike music fill heard on Sunday; 8:30 am timecheck, and // 13715, 15590. This has moved one UT hour later due to Wáshington going off DST, even tho that is irrelevant in Latin America.

Altho it was pretending to sign on, VOA Spanish on weekdays axually starts on same triad at 1230, including the Andean service. BTW, there have been vague reports that the administration is having VOA beef up its Andean broadcasts to counter hostile left-leaning governments` increasing media control. Will that mean more on SW??

No more VOA on 17585 Greenville/Botswana 14-15 now that B-09 is in effect, but did find weakish VOA English Nov 2 at 1445 on 17650 mentioning stox in Asia, // 17715. These are São Tomé and Botswana respectively (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. Fortunately Cuba`s 1500 frequency announcement came a few sex later than WWCR`s switch from DGS to Brother Scare announcement on 13845, so I was able to tell Nov 2 that they were still playing the out of date recording with the wrong times for him, Mon-Sat 7 am-1 pm = 12-18 UT when on CDT, and Sundays 7 am-noon = 12-17 UT, ditto (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. WRMI vs DentroCuban jamming: see CUBA [and non]

** U S A. 9265, no signal from WINB at 1435 Nov 2, tho it was on the air before 1400 with convicted child-sex-molesting evangelist Tony Alámo. On Sunday Nov 1, however, I had noticed WINB was still on 9265 past 1400 and it is now FCC-registered as available until 1500. It depends (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

UNIDENTIFIED. After Bonaire was finished with 6165, Nov 2 at 0640 I was hearing a het of approx. 0.3 kHz between two weak signals, most likely between Croatia and Chad, one or both of which must be off-frequency, and the dominant one sounded Slavic (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

UNIDENTIFIED. I hate to mention this again, as I have had absolutely no results previously, but I am still hearing that very weak carrier on approx. 9600.4 hetting 9600 stations, such as Nov 2 at 1513. During this semihour, the only thing scheduled on 9600 is CRI in Persian via Kashgar, East Turkistan, and I continue to hope that 9600.4 is XEYU, but will settle for any other definite ID anyone can extract (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

UNIDENTIFIED [and non]. Only signals making it on 13m, Nov 2 at 1448 were Libya 21695 with heavy-handed leader-of-the-revolution stuff in English, which no intelligent listener could take seriously; and beside it a strong but fading open carrier on 21690 which went off at 1449* Suspect that was TDF GUIANA FRENCH testing, as it`s the only site registered on the frequency at any time, 17-22 with RFI to Africa; however David Hodgson, TN heard it Oct 27 only until 2000* with music program, DJ mixing in some English (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###